Nicole Pennington, 32, of The Bronx stands at attention at job fair.

They came, 300 strong, to Manhattan Center Thursday, soldiers and sailors and leathernecks, all in need of a job.

For military veterans, it can be a hard battle to get back into the civilian workforce. A job fair just for them, organized by a former Marine Captain, was meant to make their fight a little easier.

"I'm a certified sharpshooter - what does that mean to a civilian employer?" said Shaheem Dantzler, 21, a U.S. Army National Guard Reserves Private First Class, who has been looking for work for six months.

The South Bronx resident got married last spring, and there's a baby on the way.

"I'm thinking about returning to active duty for the pay and benefits, for my family's sake. It's that hard to find work," he said.

Drew Myers, whose firm, RecruitMilitary, stages dozens of job fairs nationwide each year, has seen how hard it is for enlisted personnel to transition to civilian life. Many have little or no college education or non-military work experience. There's more than 20% unemployment among vets ages 18 to 24.

"They have no clue on how to begin their job search," said Myers, 47, of Cincinnati, Ohio.

She's been looking for civilian work for the past six months because she's about to start Reserve duty. She'll be living in the South Bronx.

"I'm trying to figure out what makes me stand out from the crowd," said Pennington, who earned a bachelor's degree during her seven years of active service.

Marine Sergeant Owen Eichenlaub, 23, has been looking for a job for two months. He, too, is about to start Reserve duty. He hopes his Marine Corps training and experience in building phone and computer networks will stand him in good stead.

The Broad Channel, Queens, resident thinks employers should take a closer look at vets and realize that military service is good preparation for civilian work.

"We bring so much more to the table than the average person," said Eichenlaub, who wore his dress uniform to the job fair. "We are taught to be leaders."